China: Marriages drop to historic low as nation deals with declining birth rate

Marriages in China have dropped to a historic low as the East Asian country is dealing with a declining birth rate and a falling population. According to the Ministry of Civil Affairs on Sunday (June 11), just 6.83 million couples completed their marriage registrations in 2022, down about 800,000 from the previous year. The number of marriages last year was nearly half the peak of 13.47 million in 2013, news outlet Yicai Global tweeted early Monday.

The drop in couples tieing the knot, which follows Covid restrictions keeping tens of millions locked in their homes or compounds for weeks last year, comes as authorities deal with a declining birth rate and a falling population, the news agency Reuters reported.

What is the reason for declining marriages?

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A report by CNN last year cited two reasons for the declining marriages in China- the first reason is decades of policies designed to limit population growth, which meant there were fewer young people of marriageable age, and the second reason isthe changing attitudes to marriage, especially among young women who are becoming more educated and financially independent.

Last month, the Chinese government said it would launch pilot projects in over 20 cities to build a new-era marriage and childbearing culture to vigorously create a child-bearing-friendly social environment.

The projects would focus on tasks including prompting marrying and having children at an appropriate age, encouraging parents to share child-rearing responsibilities, and curbing high prices and other outdated customs, as per a report by the Global Times on May 14.

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Some provinces are also giving young newlyweds an extension of paid marriage leave.

Last year, China's population fell for the first time in six decades, a drop that is expected to mark the start of a long period of decline in its citizen numbers with implications for its economy. Reuters reported the country's birth rate fell last year to 6.77 births per 1,000 people, the lowest on record, from 7.52 in 2021.

Demographers warned China would get old before it gets rich, as its workforce shrank and indebted local governments spent more on their elderly population.

(With inputs from agencies)

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